Slovakian Parliament Approves Defense Treaty with US Amidst Rising Russia-Ukraine Tensions
Protestors gathered outside of the parliament building in Bratislava ahead of the vote on the Defense Cooperation Agreement. Photo: Pavol Zachar/TASR, via AP
On Wednesday, Feb. 9, Slovakian lawmakers approved a defense treaty with the United States that has been a cause for controversy in the Eastern European country. The vote passed 79-60 in the 150-seat legislature after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Slovakia’s defense minister, Jaroslav Nad signed the treaty on Feb. 3 in Washington.
Named the Defense Cooperation Agreement, the treaty authorizes the US to utilize two Slovak air force basesー Malacky-Kuchyna and Sliacー for the next 10 years. Slovakia will in turn receive $100 million to fund the modernization of the bases. The treaty was ratified by Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová shortly after being passed by parliament.
The vote took place in the midst of concerns over Russia invading neighboring Ukraine, an accusation which Moscow vehemently denies. A similar agreement is already in place between the US and 23 NATO members, including all of those located on the alliance’s eastern front. The Defense Cooperation Agreement was supported by Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger, who declared that it would “significantly increase [Slovak] security.”
The treaty was not only opposed by many members of the legislature, but also by thousands of protestors, who gathered outside of the parliament building in the capital of Bratislava during the debate. Some waved national flags and others held banners with “Stop USA Army” written across them. In January 2022, one opinion poll showed that 44.1 percent of Slovaks believed NATO and the US bore responsibility for the escalation of tensions between Russia and Ukraine, while 34.7 percent put the blame on Russia.
Those opposed to the treaty have argued that it is a threat to Slovakian sovereignty, and would allow for the permanent stay of US troops in the country. Some went so far as to say that it could lead to a deployment of nuclear weapons in Slovakia. The Slovak opposition was united in the protest, including the far-right People’s Party Our Slovakia and the leftist Smer-Social Democracy of former populist Prime Minister Robert Fico. Fico, who was in power during the initial negotiations, expressed his distaste for the treaty and accused those supporting it of wanting Slovakia to become a “province” of the United States.
In a particularly heated moment of the treaty debate, pro-government lawmakers held up the Ukrainian flag below the Slovak flag. An opposing member responded by tearing it down, and going so far as tearing the facemask off of the man holding it.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad signed the US-Slovak Defense Coordination Agreement in Washington DC on Feb. 3, 2022. Photo: Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry, via The Slovak Spectator
Any actual deployment of US forces to the country will still require additional authorization from the Slovak parliament and government. During the Feb. 3 signing in Washington DC, Blinken reiterated that “Nothing in [the] agreement creates permanent US bases or troop presence in Slovakia, and the agreement fully respects Slovakia’s sovereignty and laws.” The pushback against the treaty in Slovakia is exemplary of the reluctance felt in Eastern European countries that acts as a buffer zone between NATO and Russia, especially in light of current tensions between the latter and Ukraine. While some countries in the region have demonstrated strong support for the increase of US-NATO forces in their territories, others like Slovakia show more uncertainty.